Although the ATP Tour was absent from China in 2020, 2021, and 2022, Japan actually held a somewhat normal spot on the tennis calendar in not-so-normal times. The 2021 Tokyo Olympics went ahead (one year later than originally scheduled) and the Japan Open (also in Tokyo) returned to the schedule in 2022.
This year’s ATP 500 in Tokyo wraps up the comeback of the Asian swing, which also included stops in Zhuhai, Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai. Tokyo’s 32-man draw was revealed on Saturday, with the list of seeded players headlined by Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and Alex de Minaur. The field is so strong that current Shanghai finalist Hubert Hurkacz is unseeded along with Shanghai quarterfinalist Ben Shelton.
Despite being the No. 1 seed, Fritz doesn’t have an easy path through the bracket. The eighth-ranked American has to open against former top-10 player Cameron Norrie, while Karen Khachanov is a possible quarterfinal opponent. The top half of the draw also includes de Minaur, Hurkacz, and Frances Tiafoe.
On the other side, Zverev and Shelton are on a collision course for the second round. The winner of that potential showdown could run into Tommy Paul in the last eight.
Check out the full PDF draw on the ATP website.
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